Situation of speech: Cross-cultural pragmatics.
The study of differences in expectations based on cultural patterns
of communication is part of a broad area of investigation generally
known as cross-cultural pragmatics. Since conversational
strategies are culturally variable, i.e. they differ from country to
country, such differences have to be considered in teaching foreign
languages. The examples of variations are:
direct negative answers to questions vs. elusive negative answers
to questions;
compliments are accepted vs. compliments are rejected;
the speaker should inflate the listener (Eastern countries) vs. the
speaker is not expected to inflate the listener (Western
countries);
social rituals which require various adjacency pairs;
turn taking: talking simultaneously (Southern countries) vs.
waiting for a pause to join in the conversation (Northern
countries);
the use of silence and laughter as communicative signals;
etc.
